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Joe Riley
| last = October 3, 1979 (death) 1987 | years = 1968–1970, 1972–1979, 1987 | creator = Agnes Nixon | death cause = Dies from a brain tumor | cause = Appears in Heaven | image1 = Image:Joe Riley, 1970.png | caption1 = Lee Patterson as Joe Riley | nickname = | alias = | gender = Male | born = | age = | occupation = Journalist | title = Editor of The Banner | residence = | parents = | siblings = Eileen Riley Siegel | spouse = Victoria Lord (1969–1970; legally dissolved) (1974–1979; dissolved) | romances = Cathy Craig Lord (1973) | children = Megan Craig Riley Kevin Lord Riley Joseph Francis Riley, Jr. | grandchildren = Duke Buchanan Zane Buchanan (great-grandson) | aunts and uncles = | cousins = | grandparents = | nieces/nephews = }} Joseph Francis "Joe" Riley is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, One Life to Live. The role was portrayed by Lee Patterson from the inception of the serial in 1968 through 1970, returning from 1972 through 1979, and reappearing briefly in 1987. Storylines (Erika Slezak) remarry, 1974]] In 1968, reporter Joe Riley clashed with icy heiress Viki Lord, who had little interest in romance and focused her time and energy on her work at The Banner. They soon started falling in love, but publisher Victor Lord disapproved of his daughter becoming involved with the working-class Riley and did all he could to keep them apart. Torn between pleasing her father and following her heart, Viki began getting headaches — and mysterious, threatening notes telling her to end her relationship with Joe. Secretly plagued by multiple personality disorder, Viki (as alter ego Niki Smith) became involved with Joe's best friend, Vincent "Vinny" Wolek. In love with Niki, a heartbroken Vinny learned the truth and told Viki about her other personality. Viki sought medical treatment and, as her mental illness seemed under control, she went ahead with her plans to marry Joe. But during the wedding in June 1969, Niki reemerged and fled the ceremony with an ecstatic Vinny. When he urged Niki to marry him, however, Niki's own panic resulted in Viki regaining control. She returned to Joe. During more intensive therapy, Viki remembered writing the notes (as Niki), and finally recalled the childhood memory that had apparently caused her personality to splinter. Now freed by the truth, Viki married Joe. In 1970, Joe began investigating Llanview's increasing drug trade for The Banner. While making inquiries in California, Joe's car went over a cliff; his body was never found, but he was presumed dead. Viki was devastated. She signed papers declaring Joe dead in 1972, which shocked Vinny Wolek and Joe's sister Eileen, both of whom had refused to give up the hope that Joe was alive. Joe Riley reappeared in 1972, after Viki declared Joe legally dead and was marrying another man, new Banner editor Steve Burke. As she and Steve returned from their honeymoon, she got the news that Joe was alive, and fainted. In love with (and married to) two different men, Viki eventually chose to remain loyal to Steve in 1973. Heartbroken and still in love with Viki, Joe took up with Cathy Craig, who bears him a daughter. The daughter dies in infancy due to a car crash involving Viki, the latter who falls into a brief coma. Joe and Viki remarry in 1974, remaining married through 1979, bearing two children (Kevin and Joe, Jr.) when he dies of brain tumor. References Category:One Life to Live characters Category:Fictional characters introduced in 1968 Category:Fictional reporters Category:Fictional characters from Pennsylvania